The first sold out game in Butler women's basketball program history will feature the Bulldogs hosting No. 5 UConn Saturday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. The Hinkle Fieldhouse parking lot will open at 2:30 p.m. with doors opening at 3 p.m. Those fans who did not purchase a parking pass should utilize the parking garage facility, located in the 4700 block of Sunset Avenue, between 46th and 49th Streets.
 
GameDay
Date: Saturday, February 22, 2025
Time: 4:30 PM ET
Location: Indianapolis, Ind. - Hinkle Fieldhouse
Live Stats: ButlerSports.com (Statbroadcast)
Watch: SNY
 
Bulldog Bits
- Lily Zeinstra scored a career-high 18 points in the victory over Xavier on Wednesday night.
- Zeinstra has now scored in double figures five times this year and has led the team in scoring twice.
- Zeinstra made nine of her 11 free throw attempts to help secure the win over the Musketeers.
- Kilyn McGuff joined Zeinstra in double figures in Butler's last game by scoring 10 points.
- McGuff has reached double figure scoring in 12 of Butler's last 14 games.
- Cristen Carter played 20+ minutes in a BIG EAST game for the first time this year on Wednesday.
- Carter responded with a career-high four assists, four points, and five rebounds.
- Ari Wiggins made her first start of the year on Wednesday and posted nine points and four assists.
- Butler never trailed Xavier in their four-point win.
- The Bulldogs opened the first and second quarter on 9-0 scoring runs.
- Six different Bulldogs blocked a shot vs. Xavier to give the team their highest block total since Dec. 29.
- Sydney Jaynes was limited to five minutes of playing time vs. Xavier. Her status is unknown for Saturday.
- Lily Carmody has missed the last two games. There is no timetable for her return.
- Kilyn McGuff leads the BIG EAST in double-doubles with 10 on the year.
- McGuff ranks third in the league in rebounds per game (8.1), sixth in minutes (33.4) and eighth in free throw percentage (76.7).
- McGuff ranks fifth in the BIG EAST in made 3-pointers with 52. 36 of her 52 have been made against conference foes.
- McGuff made a career-high five 3-pointers in the first meeting vs. UConn.
- McGuff is the only Bulldog to start in every game.
 
BIG EAST Standings
UConn 15-0, 25-3
Creighton 14-1, 22-4
Marquette 10-5, 18-8
Seton Hall 10-5, 18-8
Villanova 10-5, 16-11
DePaul 7-8, 12-16
Butler 5-11, 15-14
St. John's 4-11, 14-12
Georgetown 4-11, 11-15
Providence 4-12, 11-18
Xavier 1-15, 6-21
 
Scouting #5 UConn                                                                                          
The Huskies remain undefeated in BIG EAST action with a 15-0 record. The team returned to conference play on Wednesday after dominating a contest at No. 4 South Carolina over the weekend. UConn won 87-58 against the Gamecocks then shifted their focus to Seton Hall to deliver a 91-49 victory. Five players scored in double figures vs. the Pirates. Paige Bueckers led the way with 23 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals. She leads the league in assists per game (4.6), free throw percentage (88.8) and ranks third in scoring average (18.6). As a team, the Huskies lead the BIG EAST in field goal percentage (50.8), 3-point percentage (38.2), scoring offense (81.3), scoring defense (52.2), rebound margin (+6.0), assists per game (21.3), and bench points (22.6).
 
All-Time Series                                                                                                   
UConn is 7-0 against Butler since the Huskies rejoined the BIG EAST Conference during the 2020-21 season. Saturday will mark UConn's fourth trip to Hinkle Fieldhouse. They have wins by 29, 45, and 33 points in this building. Butler's highest scoring total against the Huskies was a 68-point effort, a total they reached in UConn's first-ever trip to Hinkle Fieldhouse when they were the top-ranked team in the country. UConn didn't play in Indy last year making this their first game at BU since Jan. 3, 2023.
 
Last Game vs. The Huskies                                                                           
Paige Bueckers led six Huskies in double digits with a game-high 18 points on 7-for-14 shooting from the field, to go with five assists and three steals. Azzi Fudd (13), Ashlynn Shade (13), KK Arnold (12), Sarah Strong (11) and Jana El Alfy (10) scored double figures for UConn. Butler's Kilyn McGuff paced Butler with 17 points, with 15 from 3-pointers, to eclipse the 1,000-career point mark. Riley Makalusky added 10 points in 16 minutes of work for the Bulldogs.
 
Senior Spotlight                                                                                                
Saturday is Senior Day for Ari Wiggins, Kilyn McGuff, Caroline Strande and Sydney Jaynes. This talented quartet has scored over 2,400 points for the Bulldogs during their time on campus. Jaynes spent all four years at Butler while the other three transferred into the program. This group has suited up in 283 games for Butler and has helped the team win 42 games.
 
Parking Update                                                                                                  
The Hinkle Fieldhouse parking lot is sold out for the UConn game on Saturday afternoon. Event parking is available in the parking garage facility, located in the 4700 block of Sunset Avenue, between 46th and 49th Streets. The Butler parking garage machines accept credit card only and do not accept American Express.
 
Sold Out Crowd                                                                                                 
More than 9,000 fans are expected to be in attendance at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Saturday afternoon when the Bulldogs host the Huskies in the final home game of the season. The sold out crowd will set a new program single-game attendance record. Doors will open 90 minutes before tip to allow fans plenty of time to enter the building and find their seats.
 
Tournament Talk                                                                                                
The upcoming BIG EAST Women's Basketball Tournament will be played at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. Tournament coverage begins with a first-round tripleheader on Friday, March 7. The title game will be played on Monday, March 10. If the season ended today, Butler would play as the No. 7 seed against No. 10 seed Providence.
 
Around the BIG EAST                                                                         
Here is what we know about tournament seeding heading into the weekend. UConn and Creighton have each clinched a first round bye and a top-two seed. Butler, Georgetown, St. John's, Providence and Xavier are all guaranteed a first round game with Xavier settled in at the No. 11 seed. Butler currently has five conference wins, while Georgetown, St. John's, and Providence sit at four. The Hoyas will play Marquette, St. John's and Providence to end the year, St. John's has Seton Hall, Georgetown and DePaul left on the schedule while the Friars will wrap up the regular season with games against Villanova and Georgetown. The race for the No. 3 seed is also tight with Marquette, Seton Hall and Villanova all having 10 wins and five losses.
 
Kilyn Reached 1,000 Career Points                                              
Kilyn McGuff reached 1,000 career points in the second half of Butler's game at #6 UConn. She scored a team-high 17 against the Huskies to move her career total to 1,006. She has scored 361 points as a Bulldog and had 723 over her previous three years at Belmont.
 
What's Missing?                                                                                                
Caroline Strande and Jordan Meulemans are both out for the season. Meulemans was sidelined just days before Butler's first game and Strande suffered a season-ending injury on Dec. 29 vs. Seton Hall. Strande was a Second Team All-BIG EAST selection last year and became the first Bulldog in program history to lead the team in points, rebounds and assists during the same season. Meulemans made 61 3-pointers last year, shooting 42 percent from behind the arc.
 
18 3-Pointers                                                                                        
Butler set a single-game program record against Saint Francis by hitting 18 3-pointers. Eight different players made at least one 3-pointer and no Bulldog made more than four. As a team, BU shot 56.3 percent from behind the arc, making 18 of their 32 attempts.
 
10 Wins                                                                                                                 
BU recorded 10 non-conference wins for just the second time since joining the BIG EAST. Butler went 6-2 in November, highlighting the month with a 56-46 home win over Indiana. The victory came in front of a record-setting crowd of 4,135 fans.
 
Up Next                                                                                                                 
Butler's final game of the 2024-25 regular season will send the team to Philadelphia to face the Villanova Wildcats. BU will be off that weekend giving the team eighth days of prep for the upcoming conference tournament.